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Thursday, May 6, 2010

Parker House Rolls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was raised in an apartment that was in one of four buildings set around a central courtyard. The buildings each contained four duplex and two garden units. The complex had twelve courtyards that, when viewed from the air, resembled military housing, save for the extensive landscaping and oversized buildings that housed the large apartments. During the war years, a scant male presence created a community of women who, of necessity, learned to fend for themselves. They formed tightly knit groups and established support systems that I haven't seen the likes of since, and there were times that it was impossible to distinguish neighbors from family members. Holidays tended to be communal affairs. You've already met Hannie and Mrs. P. who lived in the duplexes to the left of ours. You have yet to meet Anita who lived across the hall in our half of the building. She was young, married, but childless, and was a mathematician working on a project at the University of Chicago. More interesting to me at the time was the Christmas tree she kept in her living room. It was put up the year her husband was sent to North Africa and remained there until his homecoming. The tree was by then an ornamented stick, but it stood watch like a sentinel connecting her to him while he was away. Anita was no match for the cooking of Hannie or Mrs. P., but she did her share of work for our parties which were held in the basement laundry room. It was an expanse of about 75 feet that separated the two garden apartments from each other. The basement was whitewashed and curtained and, under the eagle eye of Mrs. P., a deliberate effort was made to keep it immaculate. On special occasions, a wringer washer, shared by all the neighbors, was rolled away and wash tubs were boarded and draped to hold the evenings bounty. Fels Naptha and bleach competed with the wonderful aromas that wafted down the stairs to the basement. Anita usually brought her Parker House rolls. They were all the rage back then and considered to be quite stylish. The rolls were first served at the Parker House Hotel in downtown Boston in the mid 1870's. While the rolls were sold to other hotels and restaurants, the ingredients were kept secret until 1933 when the recipe was requested by President Roosevelt. Anita's rolls were delicious. They were light and fluffy and the aroma as they baked could drive you mad. While I suspect memory plays tricks with reason, I've never had rolls that tasted quite as good as hers. This recipe is the closest I've ever come to matching them. I hope you enjoy them.

Directions:1) Combine yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar and water in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Let sit until frothy, about 5 minutes. Add milk, reserved 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter to yeast. Add 1-1/2 cups flour and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. With mixer at low speed, add 4 cups of flour, a cup at a time, beating until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let double in volume, about 1 hour.2) Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured board. Let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough into a sheet 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch rounds. Crease each round in the middle with the back of a knife. Brush exposed surfaces with reserved butter. Fold dough over and press lightly to seal. Place rolls 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Cover lightly and allow to rise again until nearly double in volume, about 35 minutes.3) Meanwhile preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on racks. Yield: 36 rolls.

I have made Parker House rolls and they are the best when freshly home made. I especially love the story you write about this recipe...your writing makes all the recipes so much more precious Mary. Do you have any contact with any of your old neighbors now, so very many years later?

A great old fashioned roll that I suspect will never fall out of favor! What I crave are the silliest thing - those wonderful yeast rolls my elementary school use to make. I swear I can smell them right now. My mom used to cook there so I'd go to school early with her and get to help out in the kitchen punching milk cartons and helping with other easy tasks. My early start to my love of cooking I suppose. But those rolls - fresh baked and buttered on top, my goodness. I wish I could duplicate those for sure.

One of my most favorite memories is sunday mornings after church( yes I went to church) my mom would buy these rolls fresh from the bakery. They did have a dusting of powdered sugar or maybe it was flour on top? I loved them.. Thanks for bringing back the fond, very fond memory.

What a wonderful story Mary. Thank you for sharing with us. I wish the power of community was as strong now as it once was. As it is, people are too busy hustling around now to pay attention to their neighbors. Parker House Rolls are so tasty and yours look amazing, soft, and delicious! I make parker house rolls often, and would love to try yours.

Finally! The first time I actually knew the origin of your post...Parker House Rolls.You have such great memories of growing up..love reading about them!The rolls look so good I think I can actually smell them...

Cute story behind these gorgeous rolls,enjoyed reading it.Bet it would have tasted divine.Lately iam not so excited about my breakfast being the same cereals or bread.Gonna try your rolls as an alternative.Thanks for the recipe aunt mary.Can i call u as aunt? I don't feel like calling u by name.Awaiting your next post eagerly.

It sounds like a wonderful way to grow up Mary and your storytelling made me feel as if I was right there. My grandma had an old wringer washing machine (yes, I too remember those old things from my childhood :))when I was young and that brought back fun memories. The rolls look delicious!

Mary, I read, and enjoyed, every word of your posting. I saw it in black and white. On the small screen. Comfortable and inclusive. Is that complex still a part of Chicago's landscape? Oh yes, I can smell the aroma of those rolls wafting through windows and doors.

A lovely story, Mary. It brings back memories of my own childhood in a six family apartment house in Queens, New York in a time when neighborhoods were more like small towns and everyone knew one another.

Mary! Great recipe. If you read my post on RealWomenEat.com, you'll know that I have a fear of yeast! LOL. Since facing it in last month's Cook-N-Critique with the cinnamon rolls, I just might have to try your Parker House Rolls!! Thank you!

MaryThanks for the recipe these rolls look so good and have such a nice sheen on them; but most of all, I enjoyed the story of that community of women you grew up surrounded with. How fun and so much more interesting than the conventional suburbian lifestyle, don't you think?

My great-grandmother used to make Parker House rolls for every holiday gathering. My brothers and I could easily eat half a dozen! I finally got a recipe from my mom, but they never tasted quite the same as my great-grandmother's. I'm thrilled to see your recipe and will have to give them a try.

These rolls bring back such fond memories of my childhood ~ eating Southern Dinners buffet style with my grandparents at the local diners. Now where I live, Cavallo Point (a Michelin rated restaurant) serves them ~ fabulous!

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